Official Video Game Review Topic

[Ddude The Insane]

I'm not quite sure if my temp. mod powers let me have this kind of authority (i.e. stickying my own topic and allowing multi-posts) or not, but I thought I'd try this topic again and sticky it this time. So here it is- Review video games you have here.

Just a few rules for reviewing games...

1. Please make sure you have finished a game before reviewing it. Being stuck on the final boss counts as finishing it. =P

2. No spam reviews please. Nothing like "Oh this games sucks so badly I give it 0/10 worst game ever I hate it". Please have a little depth (or at least intelligence =P) in your reviews.

3. Don't flame someone else's reviews. You can have opinions and disagree with what someone else said, but nothing like: "What kind of idiot are you that game was great you have no idea what you're talking about".

Reccomended Review Format:

Code:

Review: [Insert_Game_Here] for [Insert_Console_Here]

Game Background:
[Insert_Info_About_Game_Here]

Opening Thoughts:
[Insert_Initial_Thoughts_About_Game_Here]

Review:
[Insert_Review_Here]

Conclusion:
[Insert_Closing_Thoughts_Here]

Graphics: [Insert_Score_On_Scale_Of_1-10_Here]
Gameplay: [Insert_Score_On_Scale_Of_1-10_Here]
Overall: [Insert_Final_1-10_Point_Score_Here]

/EDIT Alright, R8 gave me the approval to sticky this. Double posts are also allowed in this topic.

//EDIT: Adding format for Reviews, not neccessarily required, but I think it's a form to build your review around.

///EDIT: Adding rules...

[Ddude The Insane]

Meh, OK. Turning off Sticky...

I'll be getting a World of Goo review up soonish.

EDIT: Ok, R8 approved the sticky and allowing double posts.

[Ddude The Insane]

Heh, beat you to the punch. 

Like I said, I'll be getting a World of Goo review up soonish. Actually, there are a LOT of games I might review. Like the original Donkey Kong.

[Dudebot5000]

I would recommend putting a recommended review format in the first post, so people can have an idea of what to say in their review. Like me. =P

[Ddude The Insane]

Ok, What the heck. I'll put up a format here:

Code:

Review: [Insert_Game_Here] for [Insert_Console_Here]

Game Background:
[Insert_Info_About_Game_Here]

Opening Thoughts:
[Insert_Initial_Thoughts_About_Game_Here]

Review:
[Insert_Review_Here]

Conclusion:
[Insert_Closing_Thoughts_Here]

Graphics: [Insert_Score_On_Scale_Of_1-10_Here]
Gameplay: [Insert_Score_On_Scale_Of_1-10_Here]
Overall: [Insert_Final_1-10_Point_Score_Here]

Oh BTW, the review part doesn't necessarily have to be 4 paragraphs. It can be shorter. I admit the format I posted was a bit...complicated. Also, you don't have to put "Paragraph (number) in front of your paragraphs. I just put it there for reference. I just like to write more in-depth Reviews. Speaking of which...

Review: Scribblenauts for Nintendo DS Systems

Game Background:

Scribblenauts is a game created by 5th Cell. 5th Cell also created the hit game Drawn to Life, and the sort-of-popular game Lock's Quest. Scribblenauts is based around the concept of "Write Anything, Solve Everything!" The game lets you play as Maxwell, a rooster hat-wearin' dude with the ability to summon any physical object you can think of. You can use these objects to solve puzzles and obtain "Starites", the main objective of the game.

Opening Thoughts:

Although at first I ignored Scribblenauts (thinking that it was some sort of redonkulous fighting game, since I heard the demo showed a Dinosaur stomping zombies ), but the more I read about it, the more interesting it seemed. The game apparently delivered on it's promise to let you summon anything (I spend way too much time looking at blogs for video game info -_-), and with quite a few interesting puzzles to solve...I was anticipating this one almost as much as M&L: Bowser's Inside Story. My only negative thoughts about the game when reading about it were lackluster graphics and a lack of plot.

Review:
So, does this allegedly amazing game deliver? Oh yeah.

Don't get me wrong, this game has it's issues. For example, although you can summon anything, you can't actually DO much with anything. If it's a blaster, you can fire it, and that's it. A rope can only be attached to something, you can't use it Indina Jones-style. Not to mention the Touch Screen controls cause some problems. "Graaaaah NO! I wasn't running towards that vampire, I was trying to fire the tranquilizer gun at him! -_____-

But it most certainly delivers on "write anything, solve everything!" You can summon some redonkulous things, even though most of them are useless. I don't think that casserole is going to slow down a mummy much. =P And a germ or amobea literaly self-destructs after touching something.

Now, don't let my negative comments confuse you. This is an EXCELLENT game. It's a great time-killer, and probably the best "pick up and play to kill the time" game out there on DS. It has kinks, but you'll spend dozens of hours playing this game, frustrated or not along the way. I've spent more time on the title screen, whihc functions as a sandbox (best title screen eva =D), just experimenting.

Final Thoughts:

I'm pressed for time, so I'll make this brief. Does the game have flaws? Yes. Would a more polished sequel be welcomed? Yes. But is this game one of the best DS games this year? Yes.

Graphics: 7.3/10
Gameplay: 9.3/10
Final Score: 8.7/10

I'll putthe outline in the topic's main post.

[LordVaderRulez]

Info:
Platform: Xbox 360
Cost: $59.99

Basic Information:
The story takes place on Earth in 2552 where Humanity (formed together under an organization known as the United Nation Space Command or UNSC) is losing a long war against an religous Alien alliance known as The Coventant. As a special forces marine known as an ODST you are deployed from a frigate in space via a small pod. Your mission is to land on a Coventant Carrier, but just as you approach it a slip space rupture sends you and the rest of the marines of course. Lost in the massive city of New Mombasa you must find out where and what happened to your sqaud.

Story
I liked this story more then the previous ones as it explains what happened to the Marines and civilians after Halo 2. It differs much from the original Halo games as it does not take place on one of the Halo rings. The story itself is quite a mystery having to find your lost sqaud.
Story: 8.5/10

Setting
The setting of the game is quite impressive due to it's very close detail.While in the massive African city you are sorrounded by what appears to be failed attempts at evacuting the city. Not to mention the games setting at night lays way for interesting combat
10/10

Gameplay
Gameplay throughout the game will have you full of suspence. It also makes the game a bit more fun then the previous Halo games as rather then fighting as Master Chief who is practically a mobile tank, you have to get cover and mecial help instead of simply having your shields recharge. It is somewhat more easy though, I am not quite sure why. Overall it is fun though
8.5/10
Multiplayer
Multiplayer introduces a new game type known as firefight whre you select map and fight against the computer to see how many points you can get, though quite addicting at first, it may become a dissapointment afterwards. ODST also includes a second disk with all of the Halo 3 maps and map packs thus helping you if you haven't purchased the map packs or ripping you off if you haven't.
6.5/10

Overall:
8.5/10

[Plotkin]

Info:
Platform: Xbox 360
Cost: $59.99

Basic Information:
The story takes place on Earth in 2552 where Humanity (formed together under an organization known as the United Nation Space Command or UNSC) is losing a long war against an religous Alien alliance known as The Coventant. As a special forces marine known as an ODST you are deployed from a frigate in space via a small pod. Your mission is to land on a Coventant Carrier, but just as you approach it a slip space rupture sends you and the rest of the marines of course. Lost in the massive city of New Mombasa you must find out where and what happened to your sqaud.

Story
I liked this story more then the previous ones as it explains what happened to the Marines and civilians after Halo 2. It differs much from the original Halo games as it does not take place on one of the Halo rings. The story itself is quite a mystery having to find your lost sqaud.
Story: 8.5/10

Setting
The setting of the game is quite impressive due to it's very close detail.While in the massive African city you are sorrounded by what appears to be failed attempts at evacuting the city. Not to mention the games setting at night lays way for interesting combat
10/10

Gameplay
Gameplay throughout the game will have you full of suspence. It also makes the game a bit more fun then the previous Halo games as rather then fighting as Master Chief who is practically a mobile tank, you have to get cover and mecial help instead of simply having your shields recharge. It is somewhat more easy though, I am not quite sure why. Overall it is fun though
8.5/10
Multiplayer
Multiplayer introduces a new game type known as firefight whre you select map and fight against the computer to see how many points you can get, though quite addicting at first, it may become a dissapointment afterwards. ODST also includes a second disk with all of the Halo 3 maps and map packs thus helping you if you haven't purchased the map packs or ripping you off if you haven't.
6.5/10

Overall:
8.5/10

ODST is really just a bridge to Halo Reach anyway, so it didnt have to be too epic

[Dudebot5000]

Review: Steambot Chronicles for PS2
Rating: T for Teen (Alcohol Reference, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes)



Game Background:
Developed by Irem and ATLUS, Steambot Chronicles started as a Japanese game titled Bumpy Trot. In it, you star as a young man named Vanilla. After taking a short quiz, you start off finding yourself shipwrecked with amnesia, only to be found by the lead female character. After being trapped on the beach, the two of you come across a walking car - a Trotmobile.

From there, the story explodes. The girl who found you, Coriander (Connie), turns out to be the lead singer in a famous band. You get attacked by bandits. You complain about memory loss. You transport goods and people. You play instruments in a band or two. You fight in arenas everywhere. But what keeps the game going?

That would be you. Everything Vanilla says and does is chosen by you. Yes, that's right, you get to make Vanilla say what you want based of a list of options. Will he be happy? Angry? Greedy? Good? ...Evil? The choice is yours.

Opening Thoughts:
I was first introduced to this game through a demo my friend showed me. I was a bit unsure about it at first; the controls were rather difficult: both analog sticks to steer your "trot," L1/R1 controls each arm, L2/R2 to boost/jump, L3/R3 to pick things up... However, the story grabbed my interest from the very beginning; I needed to get a copy. But was it worth it?

Review:
Yes it was. First of all, the storyline is IMMENSE. Even after the main storyline is done (Which you have to play through at least twice to get the full effect), you've still got this obnoxious amount of side-quests to do. In other words, you'll always have something you could be doing.

On top of that, there are 6 songs total that you can play on your instrument(s). Instruments include favorites such as the harmonica, piano, bass, and the electric guitar. Granted, you only start with one, but you can purchase or find the rest.

As for the main part - fighting - it could go either way. The controls can be hard for one without fine-tuned control, or even impossible. However, with enough practice, almost anyone can become a skilled Trotmobile rider. From there, your success depends on how well you fight with the weapons you equip. In this game, it's pretty much survive or GAME OVER. (The tutorial greatly helps improve skills, provided you can pass it. =P)

As for other activities, there's a great variety, which is a plus. Wanna play pool? You can rack 'em up with a total of 15 NPCs, including yourself. Mining is your thing? Fossils can be dug up at any time you want. What about helping the less-than-fortunate? Well, there's 3 orphans and a starving artist to take care of. Want to be king? Then buy out the Stock Market. And that's only skimming the surface. If you ever get tired of fighting, then there's always something else to do.

However, there is one thing I do have to mention. In between areas or certain activities (Trot match, pool game, etc.) there is always a "loading" time. While the loading itself isn't a bad thing, the fact that it happens so often gets annoying. Especially when you have to wait 10 seconds to get from one end of the street to the other. >_<

Conclusion:
Steambot is, despite the loading annoyance, a really great game. There are a ton of things you can do during and after the storyline is over, which should keep you going for days or even weeks. I know that this game will keep me entertained for a long while. Probably even after the sequle comes out for the PS3...

Graphics: 9
Gameplay: 9
Load Time: 6
Overall: 8

[LordVaderRulez]

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360.

Game Background:
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a game devoloped by Infinty Ward for the Xbox 360, PS3, and computer. It features three different forms of gameplay, campaign, multiplayer, and Special Ops, which is made up various missions one can complete. Through out campaign you play as a variety of characters from an undercover CIA agent to the  members of an elite commando unit.

Opening Thoughts:
When I first got the game I was expectations were pretty high considering that everyone I knew considered it the best game of the year and had wasted countless hours on it. As soon as I got it, I surprisingly didn't play it at first at spent most my time creating mods for Halo PC. After a day or so of leaving it in the case I went and played campaign which left me with  mixed feelings.

Review:
Graphics: 9.5/10: The Graphics are extremely good, with much attention to detail which makes for an overall great playing time.

Campaign: 8/10: Campaign is overall pretty good, but has several problems. First off I found myself quite bored with the first levels as it seemed as though I was replaying the first modern warfare (This thought would later change though). There is also a level that I found a bit disturbing in which you play as an undercover CIA agent particpating in the massacre of helpless civilians at an airport. This level however does not negatively affect my review of the game as the level does indeed contribute to the overall plot and helps add realism to the game. IMO campaign doesn't really get good untill the invasion of the USA, where it becomes quite addictive. In the end I would have given it a 9/10 or even 10/10 had it been longer. 3-4 hours of gameplay really doesn't live up much.

Multiplayer: 8.5/10: I haven't been a big fan of COD's multiplayer since COD 3, but the game is still good. Online multiplayer relies on you to level up in order to get certain game types and perks. A huge disadvantage is not being able to use party chat during certain gameplay, however the abilities to controll predator drones and other equipment is quite fun. Special Ops witch consists of various missions you can complete is always fun to play alongside your friends. In the end for me and a lot of people I know in real life MW2's multiplayer is good for playing with friends, but not as good for ranked multiplayer.

Overall: 9/10

Conclusion:
Fairly good game, though for those who played MW1 it may seem like a repeat.

[Ddude The Insane]

I apologize that I've neglected this topic so terribly. However, this post will soon contain reviews of Metroid Prime Trilogy, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, and possibly more. Stay tuned!

EDIT1:

Review: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS Systems.

Game Background: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is produced by Nintendo. Duh. =P

 You're Link, a young train engineer's apprentice. On the day the game begins, you are being promoted to Royal Engineer. After an old man, whose name I forget, tells you an ancient story about Hyrule, you head off. When you arrive, you bump into a strange man wearing two green Bowler Hats.

You meet the Princess, who promotes you to engineer (with Chancellor Cole, the bowler hat dude, continually telling Zelda to hurry up). She then secretly instructs you to meet her in her room, and gives you a map. When you get to her room, she asks you to take her to the Tower of Spirits, where the train tracks across Hyrule originate from. She thinks something's amiss, due to the tracks dissapearing.

While on your way, the tracks dissapear from beneath you. A evil flying train appears in the sky, and Cole, riding on it, reveals the bowler hats are covering Demon Horns. He, with the help of his powerful assistant Byrne, force Zelda's spirit out of her body and take it, believing it is the only way to ressurect the Demon King, Malladus.

Then you wake up and-*stops spoiling the game*

Opening Thoughts: I'd never played a Zelda game before, *ducks to avoid the noxious gas bombs being thrown at me by Zelda diehards* so I thought this would be a good jumping-on point.  *gas bombs stop coming* The concept seemed pretty cool, and I've heard Zelda is an excellent series. I had high expectations for this game. Very high expectations.

Review:

Alright, I'll start with Music.

The Music is excellent in this game. I love the main theme you hear while riding in the train. The Flute function is pretty nice, although it's a bit tricky and it doesn't always work perfectly. After using it a little, though, it gets pretty fun.

8.5/10

Graphics:

I've always prefered a bit of a cartoonish look to my games, so cell-shade animation is welcomed by me. Although the cutscenes are a bit iffy, the graphics of the game itself work pretty well.

8.3/10

Gameplay:

Ok, maybe I'm just biased because I'm new to the series, but I must say the gameplay was impressive. The Train function is pretty nice, although it feels a bit linear. I also wish there weren't so many enemies while you ride on the train >_>.

Combat seems to work pretty well. Both characters move very well with the stylus (not like Scribblenauts >___>). Link steers well and Zelda, while her movements are questionable somtimes, is for the most part pretty good. The bosses are all equally epic (except Frooz, he's just...weird), particularly the lava guy. The Final Boss, Malladus, is pretty good, although it feels like you finish the fight with him rather quickly (although you do end up taking a lot of damage).

The storyline was well-written, and from what I've heard, it isn't exactly your standard Zelda (although the Cell-Shade ones never really are). It seems like Link transitions to being a warrior a bit quickly, though. Not that I want repeptitive tutorials and such, but it would  have helped if he had a bit more training in his background.

The characters are all well-written, particularly Zelda and Cole. Zelda has her funny moments, and Cole makes for a pretty good villain.

Final Thoughts:

Maybe if I had more experience with Zelda, my rating wouldn't be so high. But I still think this is an excellent game, and I especially reccomend it to those who want to try out a Zelda game for the first time.

Music: 8.5/10
Graphic: 8.3/10
Gameplay: 9.4/10

Overall: 9.1/10

[The Truth]

Game name: Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

price: either 30 or 35 dollars, I forget.

Graphics: good, if you like WW style cell shading. 8/10

Controls: for Link, pretty good. for Zelda? terrible. nearly impossible to control. 6/10

Speech Recognition: pretty good! It understood almost everything I said! 10/10

Music: quite nice. (all Zelda games have great music, don't they?) 9.5/10

Story: pretty good. feels kind of rushed though. 8.5/10

Minigames: I haven't done Goron Shooting Range or Whip Race... but as for the REQUIRED  minigames (flute minigames), they're terrible. they're glitchy, confusing, and pointless.
as well as that, transporting items and people is too hard. 4/10, and I'm being generous.

Train: Fun, but unnecessarily confusing. moves too slow. 8.7/10

Multiplayer: Wireless only? No Wi-Fi? Phantom Hourglass had Wi-fi. 1/10

Sidequests: Hours of sidequests. most of them are boring and/or hard, but there are a few gems in there! (literally and metaphorically =P)

overall: would be great, but it's a tad  rushed, glitchy, and Zelda is way too hard to control. still, the game is mostly fun. 8/10.

EDIT: I would like to mention that I was halfway through Final Boss when I wrote this. My opinion is unchanged.
'NOTHER EDIT: I forgot to review it's sidequests....

[Ddude The Insane]

...whaaaat??

You gave it a 7?? Every other game critic has given that game at least a 9. I, personally, loved it, although I am new to the series.

[The Truth]

....7? I thought I gave it an  8, or at least 7.5....
but trust me, it's nowhere near as good as the other Zelda games-especially not TP or MM or OoT.

EDIT: you know, it really doesn't deserve anything higher than a 7.5
 so that's my new rating. But I consider 7.5 to be high, not low.

ANOTHER EDIT: I reconsidered... I think it actually deserves  an 8.

[LordVaderRulez]

What's the point of having to finish prior to the review? I always finish the game first, but having that rule is unfair if the game is designed for multiplayer.

[Jade]

Here's some of the reviews I wrote for games on GameSpot.

Mario Party DS

Difficulty: Just Right
Time Spent: 10 to 20 Hours
The Bottom Line: "Just plain fun"

Mario Party DS is a great game. It takes all the fun from the other Mario Party's and turns it in to a great game to play. The controls are super easy to pick up, and there's sooo many things to do.
On story mode you play through 5 different boards, with a boss battle after each board. After everyone has gone a turn, you play a minigame. This happens 10 times, since you have 10 turns.
On party mode you basically do the same thing as story mode, except you can pick which board you want to play(as long as you have unlocked it) and you don't have to do the boss battles.
Minigames are a lot of fun. There's so many to choose from. They range from simple things like tapping the screen to harder things like running around on a path thats constantly changing colors and turning black so you can't see all the pits.
Puzzle games are challenging. You have to think quickly, or else!
The gallery is cool because you can see what you've unlocked by playing Mario Party. And, you can see all your high scores and compare them to what the staff scored. Its super hard to beat their times, but I did it a couple of times. There's also a place where you can hear all the sound clips from the game. In order to unlock this, you have to complete story mode with one character.
This game is great, but its even better when you play with a friend or 2 or even 3! You can play the whole game off of 1 cartridge. This is a must get game for mario fans and party fans everywhere!

[Ddude The Insane]

@LVR-true, but most games aren't designed for multiplayer. You don't have to beat all of the side quests, minigames or multiplayer modes. You just have to finish Story Mode, if the game has it. Preferably 10+ hours of gameplay.

I'll get some other LoZ reviews up, as soon as I get some Nintendo Points. =P

[LordVaderRulez]

A large portion of games outside nitendo related consoles are indeed designed for multiplayer. Any way it's your topic so I suppose you know best.

[Ddude The Insane]

Name 10 multiplayer please, to confirm that this could be a problem in the future. I want to make sure we're not changing a rule because of a problem that doesn't exist. =P

[LordVaderRulez]

I would consider any Guitar Hero/Rockband game made for multiplayer. That's about ten right there.

And COD Modern Warfare 1 and 2 are mainly multiplayer. Oh and COD WaW. Though it is debatable as some people may play the game only for single player or some will skip straight to multiplayer. Also you a review could be considered incomplete had the game not been completely finished.

[The Host]

New Super Mario Bros (Wii)

Yeah. It's not just Super Mario Bros, its new! First off, it comes in a red case!? I dunno why, since all other Wii games I've ever seen are in white boxes. This is probably just to catch your eye and keep it looking even after noticing the price tag...

Anywho, the game is like all other super mario games, except that it has multiplayer. And a penguin suit and a helicopter mushroom. The game is fun and easy to complete, but also very hard to complete if you like perfection. There are 8 worlds, each with a boss you fight twice. You have to go through levels in a standard 2D format using Nintendo's greatest super hero, Mario.
If you get stuck on a level for a while, a green box will pop up, and if you hit it Luigi will emerge and complete the level for you, and show you some neat stuff too. You can stop this at any point and finish the level on your own, but take note that anything Luigi collects isn't given to you.

Gameplay:
The game is played over a large map, which contains multiple levels, castles, boo houses and toad huts. Each one offers a different level to go through, while Toad Huts are just helpful stop points. Once in a level you jump, leap, slide and crawl around to find your way through without getting hit by gumbas and koopas etc. It is standard SMB but with better graphics and new items to help you out.
Multiplayer:
This game brings something new to SMB: Multiplayer action. Up to 4 can play this game, player one being Mario, while players 2-4 can choose between blue toad, yellow toad and Luigi. You can battle against each other in a free for all or coin battle, or you can work co-operatively to get through tough levels. This is good for younger siblings/parents who you may or may not decide to play with, as you can help them through levels(or they can help you). If they are still having trouble with a level you can carry them through, or they can enter a bubble and follow you through. It is quite comical watching 4 cartoon heroes jumping around and on top of each other.

One thing I don't like too much in this game is that you can only save at certain points in the game the first time through(although you can return to easy save points and save there, but it takes some time). They added a Quick Save feature which allows you to save and re-enter at that point, but just once, and this doesn't count as a real save, so beware.

Graphics/Music:
Nintendo isn't huge on graphics and music for the most part, and being a 2D game the graphics aren't amazing(worse than SM Galaxy) but they are still pretty good. The music is annoying at times, but I just turn up the volume on a radio or speakers to avoid hearing this.

Final Thoughts:
This is a great game, really fun, easy enough to just beat the levels, but it should provide a challenge to beat the game in its entirety. The controls work well(and you don't require a nunchuck like in SMG). Graphics and music can be improved upon, but they aren't terrible. The multiplayer feature is cool, and it comes with 3 save files and plenty of cool stuff.
If you like Mario games(and SMB games in particular) this game is for you. Even if you aren't into Mario games this is still a cool game, and it comes in a cool red case. lol

Overall: 9/10 I don't give out part marks

-ZLS